Corrugated Paperboard Laminate Trays and Displays

ABSTRACT

A stackable display tray made of laminated plies of paperboard includes first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from a base wall. First and second upper ends of the walls have first and second tips in line with first and second channels in a bottom of the tray. The upper ends may be tapered. The tips may include tip cross sections and the channels may include channel cross sections with the tip cross sections generally conforming in size and shape to the channel cross sections. The paperboard may be double walled corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair such as at 90 degrees. Product such as bottles may loaded in the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally stackable trays and, more specifically, to such trays suitable for stacking and stacked in displays.

2. Description of Related Art

Displays for use in retail environments for displaying bottles and other items in grocery stores utilize fairly heavy and/or environmentally undesirable materials, including, wood, metal, and plastic. They often have an unwieldy number of parts and require excessive amounts of assembly time and effort. Some displays are not entirely satisfactory from the standpoint of container strength, cost of manufacture, free standing stability, ease of handling and, very importantly, material recyclability. Corrugated paperboard can be susceptible to deformation in general and, particularly, when used to support and display heavy articles such as bottles of soda and the like. Plastic display trays are typically made to hold one size bottle and are not easily disposed of in an environmentally sensitive way.

It is desirable to have display trays with sufficient structural support for stacking and for shipping of the trays loaded with products, including, bottles such as bottles of soda. It is also desirable to have such strong display trays that are comprised of recycled materials, completely recyclable upon end of useful life, refillable at retail outlets, and have a long useful life. It is also desirable to have such strong display trays that are easy and inexpensive to manufacture and displays made from such trays that are easy to assemble. It is also desirable to have displays assembled from such strong display trays that may be loaded with various products having various sizes and shapes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A stackable display tray includes spaced apart first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from a base wall. The first and second vertical walls include first and second upper ends having first and second tips respectively. Open first and second channels in a bottom of the tray are in line with the first and second tips respectively. The base wall and the spaced apart first and second vertical walls are formed from laminated plies of paperboard.

The first and second upper ends may be tapered and the first and second tips and the open first and second channels may be flat.

An alternative embodiment of the tray includes the first and second tips having first and second tip cross sections and the open first and second channels having first and second channel cross sections. The first and second tip cross sections generally conform in size and shape to the first and second channel cross sections.

The corrugated paperboard may be a double walled corrugated paperboard. The corrugated paperboard may include flutes where a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect to the flutes of a second one of the pair. The flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies may extend in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of a second one of the pair.

Signage or placards may be attached to an outside surface of one or both of the first and second vertical walls. Product may be loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap film.

The trays may be stacked to form a display. A base may support the stacked display trays and the base may be metallic or a bottommost one of the trays. A first height of the first and second vertical walls in at least a first one of the trays may be different from a second height of the first and second vertical walls in at least a second one of the trays.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of a stackable tray made from laminated plies of double wall corrugated paperboard.

FIG. 2 is a top view illustration of substantially identical plies used to make the stackable trays illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustration of a bottom of the stackable tray illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view illustration of several nested stackable trays of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustration of a display made by stacking the stackable trays of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustration of an alternative display of the stackable trays with a metal base stand.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustration of a wrapped stackable tray loaded with product for shipping.

FIG. 8 is a side view illustration of perpendicular flutes in adjacent laminated plies in the stackable tray illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustration of the perpendicular flutes taken through 9-9 in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a stackable display tray 10 made by gluing or otherwise adhering together multiple plies 12 of preferably double walled corrugated paperboard 14 as illustrated in FIG. 8. The tray 10 has a relatively rectangular horizontal base wall 16 and spaced apart first and second vertical walls 18, 20 extending upwardly from spaced apart first and second distal ends 22, 24 of the base wall 16. The first and second vertical walls 18, 20 are perpendicular to the base wall 16 in the exemplary embodiment of the tray 10 illustrated herein. Multiple plies 12 may be cut from a single blank or sheet of paperboard as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The first and second vertical walls 18, 20 are mirror images and include first and second tapered upper ends 30, having first and second tips 36, 38 respectively. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, open first and second channels 40, 42 in a bottom 44 of the tray 10 extend an entire depth D of the bottom 44. The first and second channels 40, 42 are in line with the first and second tips 36, 38 respectively so that when the trays 10 may be stacked up with the first and second tips 36, 38 of a bottom tray 50 received inside of the first and second channels 40, 42 of an upper tray 52. In this manner, the stackable trays 10 may be assembled into a display 54 such as those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The first and second channels 40, 42 may each include a flat inner surface 55 that matches a flat top 57 of each of the first and second tips 36, 38.

The first and second tapered upper ends 30, 32 and the first and second tips 36, 38 respectively are upper ends of the longitudinally spaced apart first and second vertical walls 18, 20 that interlock with the open first and second channels 40, 42 in the bottom 44 of the tray 10 to provide longitudinal stability between stacked trays 10 in displays 54 such as those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The first and second tips 36, 38 include first and second tip cross sections 136, 138 that generally conform in size and shape to first and second channel cross sections 140, 142 of the open first and second channels 40, 42 in order to provide longitudinal stability.

An open space 74 between the first and second vertical walls 18, 20 and the bottom 44 of the tray 10 provides a very useful and flexible area to place products such as bottles, cans, boxes, etc. of product for display and shipping. The open space 74 preferably has a rectangular shape to maximize its usefulness. Signage 17 or placards can be attached to an outside surface 15 of one or both of the first and second vertical walls 18, 20 of display tray as illustrated in FIG. 1. The display 54 in FIG. 5 illustrates how the trays 10 may be used to display bottles in the open space 74. The display 54 in FIG. 6 illustrates how containers of different products in different containers having different sizes and shapes may be displayed in the open space 74. The different containers illustrated in FIG. 6 include jars 80, boxes 82, and cans 84, although this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the disclosed tray and related display as the packing and display of other products is contemplated and feasible.

Different trays 10 may have different heights H and a bottommost 66 one of the trays 10 may used as a base 58 of the display 54 as illustrated in FIG. 5. Alternatively, a metal base 60 illustrated in FIG. 6 or a base made of another material may be used. The metal base 60 uses metal cross bars 64 that are received inside of the first and second channels 40, 42 of the bottommost 66 one of the trays 10.

The trays 10 are nestable as illustrated in FIG. 4 and several trays 10 may be nested together for shipping. The nested trays 10 may have different heights H as illustrated by two of the trays 10 having a short height H1 and two of the trays 10 having a tall height H2. One of the trays 10 having the short height H1 may be used as the base 58 of the display 54. The stackable trays 10 used to form one or more displays 54 may be shipped unstacked and nested together.

Trays 10 may be loaded with product such as soda bottles 70 and wrapped with material such a plastic shrink wrap film 68 for shipping as illustrated in FIG. 7. The loaded trays may then be unwrapped and easily stacked to form a display. Thus, the tray may be used for shipping product as well as displaying the product either individually or stacked and assembled in a display as illustrated herein.

The trays 10 can be readily recycled using existing paper recycling methods which are currently available extensively. The laminated paperboard trays 10 offer the longevity of displays made from metal and plastic without the disadvantages and expense of tooling and manufacture. Displays made from the stackable laminated paperboard trays are capable of supporting weights far in excess of typical corrugated paperboard displays.

The corrugated paperboard 14 used in the tray 10 is preferably double walled with a kraft finish, which was chosen for its sustainability properties. Corrugated paperboard is often made of recycled paper and most commonly includes outer and inner liners and a corrugating or fluted medium layer glued between the liners. This sandwich-type construction gives corrugated board its excellent rigidity and structural strength as well as its unique cushioning characteristics. Each tray 10 is illustrated herein as being made from substantially identical plies 12 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The plies 12 are glued or otherwise adhered together to form the laminated trays 10. Cold glue or hot melt may be used for gluing or adhering.

Preferably, flutes 21 of a first one 23 of each pair 29 of adjacent ones of the plies 12 extend in a direction at a right angle A (90 degrees) or is perpendicular to the corrugated flutes 21 of a second one 27 of the adjacent ones of the plies 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. Perpendicularity of the corrugated flutes 21 provide additional strength for the tray 10. The flutes 21 of the first one 23 of each pair 29 of adjacent ones of the plies 12 may be angled with respect to the flutes 21 of the second one 27 of the adjacent ones of the plies 12 at other than a 90 degree angle in order to provide additional strength for the tray 10.

While there have been described herein what are considered to be preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention, other modifications of the invention shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein and, it is therefore, desired to be secured in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is the invention as defined and differentiated in the following claims. 

1. A stackable display tray comprising: a base wall and spaced apart first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from the base wall, the first and second vertical walls including first and second upper ends having first and second tips respectively, open first and second channels in a bottom of the tray and in line with the first and second tips respectively, and laminated plies of paperboard forming the base wall and the spaced apart first and second vertical walls.
 2. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: the first and second upper ends being tapered, the first and second tips having flat tops, and the open first and second channels having flat inner surfaces.
 3. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: the first and second tips including first and second tip cross sections, the open first and second channels including first and second channel cross sections, and the first and second tip cross sections generally conforming in size and shape to the first and second channel cross sections.
 4. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the paperboard being double walled corrugated paperboard.
 5. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair.
 6. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies extending in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of a second one of the pair.
 7. The tray as claimed in claim 6 further comprising signage or placards attached to an outside surface of one or both of the first and second vertical walls.
 8. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising: the first and second upper ends being tapered, the first and second tips having flat tops, and the open first and second channels having flat inner surfaces.
 9. The tray as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair.
 10. The tray as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies extending in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of a second one of the pair.
 11. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising: the first and second tips including first and second tip cross sections, the open first and second channels including first and second channel cross sections, and the first and second tip cross sections generally conforming in size and shape to the first and second channel cross sections.
 12. The tray as claimed in claim 11 further comprising the corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair or extending in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of the second one of the pair.
 13. The tray as claimed in claim 12 further comprising product loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap film.
 14. The tray as claimed in claim 12 further comprising bottles loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap film.
 15. A display comprising: stacked display trays, each of the stacked display trays including a base wall and spaced apart first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from the base wall, the first and second vertical walls including first and second upper ends having first and second tips respectively, open first and second channels in a bottom of the tray and in line with the first and second tips respectively, and laminated plies of double walled corrugated paperboard forming the base wall and the spaced apart first and second vertical walls.
 16. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair or extending in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of the second one of the pair.
 17. The display as claimed in claim 16 further comprising: the first and second upper ends being tapered, the first and second tips having flat tops, and the open first and second channels having flat inner surfaces.
 18. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising: the first and second tips including first and second tip cross sections, the open first and second channels including first and second channel cross sections, and the first and second tip cross sections generally conforming in size and shape to the first and second channel cross sections.
 19. The display as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a base supporting the stacked display trays.
 20. The display as claimed in claim 19 further comprising the base being metallic.
 21. The display as claimed in claim 19 further comprising the base being a bottommost one of the trays.
 22. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising at least a first one of the trays having a first height different from a second height of the first and second vertical walls of at least a second one of the trays.
 23. The display as claimed in claim 22 further comprising a base supporting the stacked display trays.
 24. The display as claimed in claim 23 further comprising the base being metallic.
 25. The display as claimed in claim 23 further comprising the base being a bottommost one of the trays.
 26. The display as claimed in claim 22 further comprising flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of the pair or extending in a direction at a right angle to the flutes of the second one of the pair. 